Sales Manager - Sports Tours

This is a hybrid role based in our Gloucester office, you must live within a commutable distance. As part of Destination Sport Group (DSG), Mike Burton creates and delivers major brand, customer and revenue focused ticketing and travel programmes around the globe, working in direct partnership with organisations that include the British & Irish Lions and England Rugby.

Reporting to the Director of Commercial for the Mike Burton Group, the Sales Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a small sales team, developing sales plans, motivating the team and training & mentoring new and existing team members. The Sales Manager is responsible for coordinating sales operations and implementing sales techniques that allow the business to meet and surpass its sales targets consistently.

No two days are the same in this exciting sales driven role but on a typical day you will assist with:

• New and Existing Sales Growth: The identification of sales prospects, the development of customer interest and the preparation of quotes, including managing the process pre-sale, and monitoring and working closely with the Tours operations team on the sale of any tour into completion.
• Driven by profit driven growth in both existing and new clients.
• Working with internal stakeholders to ensure what is being promised can be delivered at the appropriate price and quality.
• Responsible for growing your own sales pipelines, and pitching and presenting to win new business and the pipeline of Sales Co-ordinators.
• Consistently reviewing your sales funnel ensuring there are enough prospects for conversion throughout the year.
• Identify new clients and implement a business development plan to ensure success.

Strategic Direction and Management:

• Develop and maintain a strong relationship with key schools, clubs, groups, colleges and universities.
• Work with the Marketing and Insight team to develop offering encompassing data, digital and traditional sales approaches.
• Helping to create, foster and develop the right culture and approach to the sales team and wider Tours team.
• Overseeing the day-to-day operations of the sales team.
• Setting sales targets and ensuring the team meets and exceeds them.
• Creating and developing sales plans and strategies to expand the customer bases of our joint ventures.
• Motivating the team by encouraging and praising team members and implementing target based bonus programs.
• Where required taking action with underperforming sales team members.
• Training and mentoring existing team, refining and recruiting new team members.
• Monitoring performance by regularly reviewing team delivery and taking necessary action when needed.
• Building and establishing new relationships with customers, prospects, suppliers, and key members of the group outside of the teams direct reports.
• Always looking for ways to improve the sales processes and subsequently implementing these processes.

Wide Group Development:

• Work collaboratively with the organisation’s product, travel, accommodation, and customer service departments to input and make suggestions to developing market-leading and customer-focused experiential itineraries that are relevant and appealing to the customer.
• Ensure regular and timely monitoring of sales and pipeline figures.
• Continually work closely with the tours, product, insight, marketing and customer services teams to have a swift and informed knowledge of customer feedback as and when events happen.
• Keen desire to understand the school travel market and regulations in order to deliver outstanding experiences.

Job requirements:

• Have extensive sales experience (within the sport travel industry would be highly advantageous).
• Demonstrate passion & knowledge in sport, particularly rugby.
• Show a keen interest in the world of sales - keeping up to date with industry updates to identify opportunities for the business.
• Be confident in managing sales pipelines.
• Have previous line management experience.
• Have the desire to make a difference, create and implement innovative and impactful sales development ideas.
• Have first-hand knowledge of some of the key destinations we operate in such as Europe, South Africa, North America, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean.
• Possess outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate to both internal & external stakeholders at all levels of seniority.
• Be computer literate with experience of Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint and CRM.
• Have the ability to work within a team environment to achieve team/department objectives.
• Be well organised with the ability to work to deadlines and prioritise workloads.
• Have the ability to work under pressure and work to tight deadlines, working on multiple projects simultaneously.

So if you are looking for your next challenge, please get in touch we'd love to hear from you!